My first Park-Lane disappointment. If the Perique had been applied with a light hand it would have enhanced No. 12 and given it more complexity. Unfortunately it wasn't applied with a light hand. It's hard to even recognize No. 12 in this mix. I don't mind a good dose of Perique. C&D's Bayou Night is my favorite blend. It's just that in this case a little would have gone a long way and, in my opinion, would have made a very good blend even better.

After reading the review below i decided to place my first order with Park lane and try some of their #15 blend. First off this shop is a delight to deal with, and i purchased one of their $25 house pipes and the quality is exceptional for even double that price. Blend 15 has an overwhelmingly delicious pouch aroma of figgy perique and Latakia. The blend reminds me most of Nightcap being soft and smooth from the start with an incense like side stream i love and when blown throught the nose gives that perique tingle that is most enjoyable. This blend is comprised of their #12 with added perique and the website describes the #12 as :Approximately 50% of this blend is cool and smoky Cyprian Latakia mixed with golden, red and stoved Virginia's and various different Turkish tobaccos. A satisfying end of day smoke.

PaulB has a plethora of wonderful blends that have their own personality, a good thang in my book. It is so interesting how different houses manifest their unique styles, and Park Lane is just recently one of my very favorites.

The perique in 15 amplify the full taste over the otherwise similar #12. The resulting strength, on top of a very prominent Cyprian Latakia theme, makes this a nighttime puff for me. I like to sit down while smoking these, so I can savor the complexities of the interweaving tastes which are driven by the Turkish, of which I gather there are several. #15 is not sweet in the way that some Orientals show themselves. The smoke itself is creamy and rich, and almost tactile.

I no longer begrudge the difficulties of procuring the Dunhills which used to be my staples.